A charge will be introduced to use Wokingham’s car parks at weekends and overnight from August.
The Council had hoped to launch the scheme earlier this year, but the plans were delayed after the Liberal Democrats called in the motion after massive opposition during the public consultation.
The fees will affect all borough car parks apart from in Woodley, where a separate scheme will operate. Fees will also be introduced for people using the Council’s staff car park in Shute End on Saturdays, it is currently free to use at weekends.
Wokingham Borough Council said that it is hoped the new charges will start at the beginning of August, giving time for equipment to be ordered and installed, and 21-day public notices displayed.
In Woodley town centre, the pilot scheme will see an increase in daytime parking charges in lieu of weekend and evening increases. This could start at the beginning of September pending a decision by the council’s decision making executive at its July meeting.
The borough council said that with cuts in government funding making the council’s financial position increasingly difficult, the new charges will help it keep pace with increasing costs to run and maintain car parks.
“We understand why people may be upset at these changes. It’s new to them. Yet most other local authorities already charge at these times,” said Cllr Malcolm Richards, executive member for highways and transport. “These are extremely challenging times for local councils like ours.”
Some 400 people took part in a consultation into the changes earlier this year.
“I’d like to thank everyone who took the time to talk to us in the consultation,” said Cllr Richards.
“Your comments were carefully considered and some were taken on board, such as the request from Woodley Town Council for daytime changes instead of the evening and weekend changes.”
The new evening and overnight charges will apply Mondays to Sundays (6pm to 8am) at £1 per night. On Sundays and Bank Holidays (8am to 6pm) there will be a daily charge of £1.
The new charges at Shute End car park on Saturdays (8am to 6pm) are in line with those currently payable in the council’s other car parks.
Existing and new season tickets (one, three and six month’s duration) will now be extended to include the new overnight charges, with no increase in price.
Annual season tickets for evening and overnight parking (6pm to 8am) are also being introduced in borough car parks apart from School Lane in Wargrave.
For commuters buying all-day tickets on an ad hoc basis, they will be able to pay the additional £1 charge in advance if they know they need to park before 8am and/or not return until after 6pm (which will cover them until 8am the following day).
Telephone payment system RingGo has also been introduced in council car parks, replacing Metric Mobile. The new system, which also has an app for smartphones, works in exactly the same way although there is a different telephone number for people to call the first time they use it to set up their account.
Season tickets for Wokingham Borough Council run car parks can be applied for online. People can also search for locations and details about these car parks at: www.wokingham.gov.uk/parking-roads-and-travel/parking-and-permits/find-a-car-park/
